Video: Footage Shows Erdogan Witnessed Guards Beating Protesters

Source: DCist.com, Voice of America, and Washington Post

Video: Footage Shows Erdogan Witnessed Guards Beating Protesters

BY RACHEL SADON IN NEWS ON MAY 19, 2017 4:00 PM

{O}n Wednesday, nine people were sent to the hospital (1) in a violent clash outside of the Turkish ambassador's residence between protesters and security forces accompanying President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. D.C. Police have said (2) they'll "pursue everything that's within our legal power to hold the folks that were responsible accountable for their actions." Still, Erdogan and his entourage have already left the country, and diplomatic immunity is likely to shield some of those involved. Here's the latest in what would be an even more significant international incident if we lived in Normal Times.

Video footage has emerged showing that Erdogan was aware of what his security team was up to:

The Voice of America's Turkish news service released footage that shows the Turkish president observing the melee from a car. The Washington Post has a full frame by frame analysis (3) of the video, in which Erdogan emerges from a black sedan near at least one of the men seen in other footage participating in the brawl.
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But the White House still hasn't said anything about the incident:

Erdogan had visited the White House earlier in the day, where President Donald Trump gave him a warm welcome. "We've had a great relationship and we will make it even better," Trump said, despite Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian leadership and Turkey's stalwart opposition to the United States' decision to arm Syrian Kurds. "We look forward to having very strong and solid discussions." The White House hasn't said a peep, though, about the violent incident on U.S. soil.

5. trump's silence about this is very telling.

my bet is he approves, and only wishes he could do the same to anyone who protests against him. to not even comment publicly on the matter says he doesn't care if it looks that way. could he be deluded enough to think he's going to prevail in this project to jettison democracy in the USA?

could he do it, and could it be that i am deluded to believe it can't happen here?

anyhow. i've already decided they'll have to take my first amendment rights out of my cold, dead hands, so fretting about it can only be a waste of energy.